Japan Tobacco announced plans to shuffle top management next year to improve company performance that include nominating Mutsuo Iwai as a representative director and tobacco business president.

Akira Saeki, current tobacco business president, will resign as representative director from 1 January and from the Board of Directors on 23 March, when the general shareholders meeting is expected to confirm the appointment of Iwai, currently the chief strategy officer. Noriaki Okubo also will resign as executive director and leave the Board in March, the company said.
Among the changes in executive officers, Takehisa Shibayama will be appointed senior vice president and chief of tobacco research and development as of 1 Jan. Hirakazu Otomo will be the senior vice president responsible for manufacturing group, tobacco business.